Socialist Party leader, M’membe, calls on Hichilema to act as US, Switzerland reportedly cut aid to Zambia

Socialist Party (SP) President, Fred M’membe, has urged President Hakainde Hichilema to take immediate action following reported foreign aid cuts by the United States and Switzerland.

In a statement issued in Lusaka on Thursday, M’membe claimed that decisions by the Trump administration and the Swiss government to freeze aid to countries including Zambia would significantly impact bilateral and economic cooperation.

He warned that the sudden withdrawal of development assistance could create a substantial fiscal gap, leading to serious economic challenges.

However, M’membe acknowledged that donor nations had the right to determine how their taxpayers’ money was allocated.

“Zambia, as a donor-dependent nation, has no entitlement to foreign resources and must find ways to become more self-reliant,” he noted.

The opposition leader criticized the UPND government for failing to maximize revenue from the mining sector, alleging that Zambia was losing billions due to tax waivers and concessions granted to foreign mining corporations such as Anglo American, Glencore, and Vedanta.

“These companies are profiting immensely from Zambia’s mineral wealth while the country struggles with financial instability,” M’membe claimed.

He further highlighted the growing global demand for copper, driven by the transition to electric vehicles, renewable energy, and increased housing construction.

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M’membe argued that with such high demand, it made no economic sense for Zambia to continue offering tax breaks to multinational mining firms while seeking financial assistance from Western capitals.

“Zambia can generate an additional US$2 billion annually if tax incentives were removed—funds that could be used to employ millions of farm workers and improve infrastructure, education, and healthcare,” he claimed.

M’membe accused the government of either ignorance or corruption in handling the country’s mineral resources and urged President Hichilema to rethink his mining policies.

He insisted that Zambia’s economic solutions lay within its own borders and called on the government to act decisively to protect national interests.

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